After a telephone conversation between U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, the State Department said in a statement Tuesday that the two ministers discussed increased cooperation between the two countries on regional issues.
They also discussed the challenge posed by Iran's nuclear program and Tehran's destabilizing behavior in the region.
The State Department said Blinken thanked his Saudi counterpart for the kingdom's efforts to strengthen and extend the truce in Yemen and discussed efforts to avoid the economic, environmental and humanitarian threats posed by the Oil Tanker (Safir) in the Red Sea.
The Saudi minister made it clear last week that talks with Iran had not made sufficient progress, stressing the need to build confidence for any future cooperation between the two parties.
Speaking at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (Davos 2022) in Switzerland, he also explained that Saudi Arabia is ready to discuss several things with the Iranian authorities if they are willing to de-escalate the region.
Saudi Arabia has long stressed the need for Tehran to stop its destabilizing moves in the region, threaten international navigation, as well as support militias in some Arab countries that threaten its stability and violate its sovereignty.
The United States has repeatedly condemned Iran's activities in the region, particularly support for militias.